Tow treating apparatus



y 26, 1956 w. 1... ASPY, JR., ET AL 3,262,178

TOW TREATING APPARATUS Filed June 1.2, 1963 :5 Sheets-Sheet l NIPPLE 24 TEE BODY 22 26 /6 ne f /a\ I4 20 j OR/F/GE Z4 BUSTLE Fl 6. Z

r55 BODY WILLIAM L. ASP), JR. 3742 40 sfi 46 JAMES K. PA/VN/LL )f k INVENTOR.

! 30 50 i gygwm 54 I fi a/wld 6. m

A TTOR/VE Y y 1956 w. L. ASPY, JR., ET AL 3,262,178

TOW TREATING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June L2, 1963 EL OOMED 70W NIPPLE TEE BODY omr/czz FIG. 7

WILLIAM L. ASP), JR.

JAMES K. PA/VN/LL INVENTOR. BY M/' M N M ATTOR/VE Y July 26, 1966 w. L. ASPY, JR., ET AL 3,262,178

TOW TREATING APPARATUS Filed June L2, 1963 3 heets-Sheet 5 l \o i k N I b WILLIAM L. ASP), JR. v JAMES/(.PA/V/WLL m INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY United States Patent 3,262,178 TOW TREATING APPARATUS William L. Aspy, Jr., and James K. Pannill, Kingsport,

Tenm, assignors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 12, 1963, Ser. No. 287,227 4 Claims. (Cl. 28-1) This invention relates to the treatment of continuous filament tow. More particularly it concerns a simplified apparatus and process for opening or blooming tow particularly adapted for forming into rod-shaped elements suitable for use in tobacco smoke filters and the like.

Our co-workers Caines, Dyer and Pannill in Serial No. 226,432 filed September 26, 1962, have disclosed a jet device construction specially suitable for processing tow which is being converted to rod-like elements. In the Caines et al. jet the entrance end is provided with a threaded section adapted to receive means to reduce entrance diameter of the yarn entrance, and the exit end is provided with aflexible finger construction. Our coworker Yantz with Panni1l, one of the instant inventors, in Serial No. 229,022 filed October 8, 1962, has disclosed a jet device with venturi portion eliminated adapted to use less air and at lower pressures than prior art devices for blooming tow. Both of these devices are adequate and highly useful in the preparation of tow for compacting into r'od products. However, the recent rapid increase in installations for bloomed tow production has created a demand for greater facility in processingcertain of the tows now available. Also there has developed a need for increased economy of production and for rod products of a higher range of pressure drop and increased uniformity. Thus, development of a jet device of simple construction and one which would require reduced air pressure for operation represents a highly desirable result. After extended investigation we have found that a blooming or entangling jet may be modified to permit processing a tow into rod-shaped elements of enhanced uniformity at reduced air pressures and with a considerably simplified construction.

One object of this invention is to provide improvements in the method and apparatus for processing continuous filament tow. Another object is to provide a method and apparatus of improved economy whereby rod or tip elements of a quality better than or at least equal to that of presently produced elements are obtained. Still. another object is to provide simplified process and apparatus for blooming'tow and adapting it for further processing into filter elements or the like of a high-range pressure drop. A still further object is to provide a jet device which produces filaments in such a condition that they can be banded by a banding jet of such construction that good banding is obtained at a lower air pressure than heretofore usable for such purposes.

In its broader aspects this invention involves the use in treating tow of a T-joint jet comprising a substantially horizontal pipe-like structure having substantially cylindrical entrance and exit means. Close to the entrance of the jet is positioned a separate opening substantially at an acute or right angle to the continuous filament tow moving through the jet. This opening is for the addition of a fluid medium such as air. The entrance to the jet is restricted by a washer-like plug. The plug may be extended to a point just beyond the separate opening and may be provided with radial orifices for entrance of the fluid medium. By the .use of the modified plug the noise accompanying use of the jet is reduced to some extent. A finger-like projection may be attached to the exit portion of the jet, for example, as described in the abovementioned Serial Nos. 229,022 and 226,432. The fingers preferably extend in the form of a cone or cylinder. To minimize the amount of lint blown from the tow a shroud may be attached to the jet to extend slightly beyond the exit end. It may be used either in conjunction with the finger-like projection or by itself. The tow may in accordance with our invention also be passed through a banding jet such as that of our co-worker Stevens US. Patent No. 2,908,045 or of our co-worker Jacksons US. Patent No. 2,737,688. However, according to the instant invention the orifices for admitting air or other banding fluid have an increased size of 0.0020 to 0.0030 inch in width, preferably about 0.0030, thus enabling surprisingly a fluid supply of as low a pressure as 1 p.s.i.g. Also, in this embodiment the orifices may be limited to one side with equally as good results. The banding jet may be positioned either before or after the T-joint jet, the preferred location being just after removal of the tow from a source of supply such as a tow bale. When banding jet is used after the T-joint jet, the T-joint jet should not contain a bustle or shroud.

For assistance in a better understanding of the present invention reference is made to the attached drawings forming a part of the instant application in which:

FIG. 1 is a detailed side elevation view in section illustrating a jet device such as used according to our invention without the bustle or finger-like extensions.

FIG. 2 is a detailed side elevation view illustrating a modification of the jet of our invention wherein the exit contains a finger-like extension.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through a banding jet such as that which may be used in our invention.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view through a banding jet such as may be used to treat the tow before or after passing through a jet as that depicted in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the jet of the instant invention with shroud and bustle attachments.

FIG. 6 is a semidiagrammatic side elevation view of an apparatus combination illustrating the processing of tobacco smoke filter tow according to our invention after it is removed from a tow source and its subsequent conversion into tobacco smoke filter elements.

FIG. 7 is a detailed side elevation view in section illustrating an alternate embodiment of our T-joint jet in which the orifice plug has been modified to contain an extension or projection.

Referring to FIG. 1, a pipe nipple 10 which may be of approximately /2 inch in diameter and about 3 /2 inches in length is threaded into a T-body 12, the entrance portion 14 of which is restricted by a circular plug 16 to form an orifice 18 which may be about to A inch in size. Air or other appropriate fluid enters T-body 12 through opening 20.

Referring to FIG. 2, a jet such as shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated, like numerals referring to like parts of FIG. 1

with the addition of a finger-like projection 22. The finger-like projection or bustle consists of a clamp ring or collar construction such as 24 from which a plurality of fingers 26 extend to form a tow path or channel, in this particular embodiment, substantially conical in shape in the unstressed state. The processed tow forces the fingers outward so that the mass of tow is substantially cylindrical in form.

FIGS. 3 and 4 depict a banding jet in the form of a hollow box-like member formed with a top 28 and bottom 30, opposite end walls 32, back 34 and front 36. The interior of the box is provided with a pair of spaced parallel wall members 38 and 40 which form a thin slot or passage 42 through which the tow is passed. The back wall 34 and front wall 36 are provided with apertures 44 and 45 respectively which are equal in size and alignment with the slot 42. The space 48 between the wall member 38 and top 28 and the space 50 between wall member 40 and bottom 30 provide plenum chambers which are connected by pipes 52 and 54 respectively, to a suitable source, not shown, of gas such as air under pressure. In order to supply air to the tow moving through the slot 42, the walls 38 and 40 are provided with a plurality of orifices or jets 56 the sides or walls 58 of which are tapered toward the slot 42.

With reference to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the jet of our invention is shown, like numerals referring to like parts of FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment the jet is provided with a gas-permeable shroud 60, which may be of a knit tubular fabric of expandable yarn attached to collar 24 and extending in a substantially cylindrical pattern from its point of attachment, which may be by means of a clamp. The shroud 60 preferably has a diameter of about 8095% that of the collar or bustle holder 24. The finger-like extensions 26 in this instance also project in cylindrical fashion and are encompassed 20- 50% of the way along their length by the shroud 60. The tow 62 is shown entering orifice 18 prior to blooming and leaving the nipple in bloomed form 64. The shroud functions in trapping lint normally impelled into the milieu or surrounding space. By means of the shroud the lint is tucked into the tow in such a way that it does not subsequently fall out.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the jet blooming process is illustrated as follows:

Briefly, a continuous multifilament crimped tow 66 is withdrawn from supply package 68 through a banding A. jet 70 such as depicted in more detail in FIGS. 3 and 4 over guide 72 by feed roll pair 74. It passes, under tension generated by the thrust of T-joint blooming jet 76 over suitable plasticizer applicator(s) 78 into said jet 76. Here it is subjected to an explosive expansion of compressed air in our specially adapted jet which has been described in more detail hereinabove. While in the jet or by means of a plasticizer applicator such as described in U.S. Patent 2,794,480 of our co-workers Crawford and Stevens or our co-worker Fritz application Serial No. 211,326, now Patent No. 3,157,536, the tow may have a plasticizer applied thereto. Next it continues on between feed rolls pair 80, which may be operated at a somewhat slower speed than roll pair 74 so that the tow is in a state of relaxation or under the very minimum of tension between jet 76 and roll pair 80. The tow may then advance to a stuffing jet 82 as described in Wexler U.S. Patent No. 3,016,945 or to a trumpet as in Crawford and Stevens U.S. Patent No. 2,794,480 and then to a rod forming machine 84.

In FIG. 7 wherein like numerals refer to like parts of FIG. 1 jet orifice plug 16 is modified so as to contain an extended sound-muffiing, neck-like portion 86. Openings 88 permit direction of the fluid stream along the path of the tow.

A further understanding of the formation of the apparatus parts disclosed in the several figures and hereinabove described will be had from the following examples, which are given in tabular form to illustrate treatment of the tow with blooming and banding jets according to our invention. Examples I and II compare the treatment of tobacco smoke filter tow with a jet such as that of the abovementioned Dyer and Pannill Serial No. 226,432 with treatment with simplified jet of this invention. Examples III and IV give a similar comparison between jet treatment with the Dyer and Pannill jet and the jet of the instant invention containing a finger-like bustle attachment such as shown in FIG. 2. Examples V and VI compare treatment of representative continuous filament tobacco smoke filter tows by the banding jet of the present invention having orifices of increased size (FIGS. 3 and 4) with treatment by a jet such as that of our coworkers Stevens and Jackson as shown in U.S. Patents 2,737,688 and 2,908,045 referred to hereinabove. Examples VIIIX illustrate the effectiveness of the shroud of our invention.

Examples I-Vl Weight Attainable Tow Air Pres- Rod Stand- Pressure Drop Air Pns- Air Air Pres- Exznnplc Jet Tow sure at Presard Slot sage Flow, sure,

Jet, sure Devia- Width Width S.e.f.m. l.s.i.g. P.s.i.g. Drop tion Mini- Maxi- (111.) (in.)

mum mum I Dyer and Pannill 3.3 D/F, Y Section 18-20 10 .0203

46,000 Denier. This invention do 6-9 10 0174 II Dyer and Pannill 5 D/F, Reg. Section 20-22 10 .0218

60,000 Denier. Jet of this invention .do 7-10 10 .0165

with neither bustle nor shroud, 3 long nipple. III Dyer and Pannill 3.3 D/F, Y Section 10 10 .0180 7. 9 12.8

46,000 Denier. Blooming jet of this 3.3 D/F, Y 8% 10 0169 8.8 13. 7

invention with us e. IV Dyer and Pannill 5 Jg/F, Regular (30,000 10 1O 0211 7.0 14. 0

enier. Blooming jet of this 5 D/F, Reg. 60,000 11% 10 0189 8.0 16. 0

invention with Denier. bustle. V Banding jet of Stevens 3.3 D/F, Y Section, 135 005 .100 51 4.8

and Jackson. Wcbby 46,000. Banding jet of this do 26% .030 090 57. 5 05 invention. V1 Banding jet of Stevens 3.3 D/F, Y Section 005 37 3. 8

and Jackson. 46,000. Banding jet of this do 20 .030 090 48 72 invention.

Examples VIZ-IX Example Bustle Nozzle Orifice Jet Air Tow Rate, No. Shroud Lint, Tow Blooming Jet Size Size Press, F.P.M.

Gms/Hr. (Inch) (Inch) P.s.i.g.

VII Yes 0.57 3.346,000YSectin Web Dser 31d Pannill with M 24 338 us e.

No K M 24 338 VIII .3 Yes M6 24 338 N0 4 A6 24 338 IX Yes 352 14 382 N0 Z62 a. 14 382 It is believed apparent from the foregoing that We place as filaments of the tow separate and the fluid have prepared a simplified jet treatment method and apparatus for the manufacture of rod-like elements and similar elements from continuous filament tow. It is also believed apparent that the simplified apparatus arrangement 1) permits the use of lower air pressure both in blooming and handing the two, (2) minimizes lint accumulation, (3) represents a considerable saving in the structural elements required for making a blooming jet and (4) also permits the production of rods of a higher range of pressure drop as well as increased uniformity as represented by lowering of the weight standard deviation.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be efiected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the ap pended claims.

We claim:

1. A two-treating jet having substantially cylindrical entrance and exit means comprising as a main body a pipe T, said body having an entrance opening irtto which is fitted a drilled plug with a circular orifice substantially smaller in diameter than the opening of said T, whereby the noise accompanying use of the jet is reduced, a pipe nipple fitted into an exit opening of the main body of the pipe T, the inside of said plug being equipped with a tube of substantially the same diameter at both ends thereof and the inside of which is the continuation of the orifice in the plug, an opposite end of the tube terminating at the inside edge of an opening in the opposite end of said T at a point just beyond a separate opening located close to the entrance of said jet at an angle to the tube and forming part of the pipe T whereby a fluid medium may be added to the jet, said tube being provided with radial orifices for entrance of said fluid medium, said orifices permitting direction of said fluid medium substantially along the path of two moving through said jet into the pipe nipple, whereby bloomed with a completion of the blooming taking expands.

2. The jet of claim 1 wherein the orifice is A to A1 inch in diameter and the pipe nipple is about /2 inch in diameter.

3. The jet of claim 1 wherein the pipe nipple is about /2 inch in diameter and about 3 /2 inches in length.

4. The jet of claim 1 further provided with a bustle which consists of clamping means from which a plurality of fingers extend to form a tow path or channel, substantially conical in shape in the unstressed state and substantially cylindrical in form when forced-out by tow, said fingers being encompassed 2050% of the way along their length by a shroud, whereby bloomed tow exiting from the pipe nipple accumulates from expansion of fluid in the bustle and is moved forward by the thrust of the fluid into the fingers, where the fluid escapes, and the bloomed tow moves forward confined by the fingers and exits at the downstream end of the fingers and passes to filter forming means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 35,575 6/ 1862 Millholland 302-25 X 2,884,756 5/1959 Head 28-1 2,908,045 10/1959 Stevens 19-66 2,997,771 8/1961 Martyn 28-1 3,055,080 9/1962 Claussen et a1. 28-1 3,084,413 4/1963 Hallden 28-1 3,093,878 6/1963 Fieldman 28-1 3,095,632 7/1963 Smith 28-72 3,099,594 7/1963 Caines ct a1. 156-152 3,110,950 11/1963 Yamamoto 28-1 3,116,532 1/1964 Scherzberg 28-1 3,177,557 4/1965 White 28-72 FOREIGN PATENTS 683,628 3/ 1930 France. 168,410 8/1959 Sweden.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. L. RIMRODT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TWO-TREATING JET HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL ENTRANCE AND EXIT MEANS COMPRISING AS A MAIN BODY A PIPE T, SAID BODY HAVING AN ENTRANCE OPENING INTO WHICH IS FITTED A DRILLED PLUG WITH A CIRCULAR ORIFICE SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER IN DIAMETER THAN THE OPENING OF SAID T, WHEREBY THE NOISE ACCOMPANYING USE OF THE JET IS REDUCED, A PIPE NIPPLE FITTED INTO AN EXIT OPENING OF THE MAIN BODY OF THE PIPE, T THE INSIDE OF SAID PLUG BEING EQUIPPED WITH A TUBE OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIAMETER AT BOTH ENDS THEREOF AND THE INSIDE OF WHICH IS THE CONTINUATION OF THE ORIFICE IN THE PLUG, AN OPPOSITE END OF THE TUBE TERMINATING AT THE INSIDE EDGE OF AN OPENING IN THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID T AT A POINT JUST BEYOND A SEPARATE OPENING LOCATED CLOSE TO THE ENTRANCE OF SAID JET AT AN ANGLE TO THE TUBE AND FORMING PART OF THE PIPE T WHEREBY A FLUID MEDIUM MAY BE ADDED TO THE JET, SAID TUBE BEING PROVIDED WITH RADIAL ORIFICES FOR ENTRANCE OF SAID FLUID MEDIUM, SAID ORIFICES PERMITTING DIRECTION OF SAID FLUID MEDIUM SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE PATH OF TWO MOVING THROUGH SAID JET INTO THE PIPE NIPPLE, WHEREBY THE TOW THEN MOVING IN THE PIPE NIPPLE MAY BE PARTIALLY BLOOMED WITH A COMPLETION OF THE BLOOMING TAKING PLACE IN FILAMENTS OF THE TOW SEPARATE AND THE FLUID EXPANDS. 